Copy editors laid off more than other newsroom staffers—but can newspapers’ credibility afford the cut?

She and two dozen other copy editors were clumped around the large central table in Postmedia Network Inc.’s newswire office in Ottawa. The group, which gathered national and international news and copy edited it for use in Postmedia newspapers across the country, gaped at the company’s vice-president of editorial operations, Lou Clancy, as he announced Canadian Press was taking over their jobs. It was cheaper; they were fired.

“We all kind of looked at each other and thought, ‘What the fuck?’ because most of us hadn’t expected any such thing,” says Covert. “My first thought was, ‘Oh my God, my mortgage,’ and my stomach just fell.”

Training / Education Grant

Training/education grant of up to $500 for laid-off members
If you are affected by a layoff or related buyout, all you need to do to receive the grant is provide proof of payment for a skills training or education course (university, community college, online, or the like) to Marj Botsford at our national office (email:mbotsford@cwa-scacanada.ca Tel: 1-877-486-4292 Fax 613-820-8188) CWA/SCA Canada 7B - 1050 Baxter Rd Ottawa, ON K2C 3P1.